


surface

by Imagination_INC



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Keith can't swim, M/M, Mutual Pining, a Better Pool Scene, bitch wtf how do i tag this, incorrect terms for basically everything, its v minor but im tagging it anyway bc even the smallest of things can be triggering, lance doesn't swear, u can fight me on that, ummm - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2019-01-07 12:56:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12233286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imagination_INC/pseuds/Imagination_INC
Summary: The turning point was the starting block.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> lmao wow nnnn hi this is my first fic, and god its shitty but whatever hope y'all like it an shit. i've been trying to write another ch, so hopefully i can get that out soon w/e bye

     You could say that going to the pool was a bad idea. You would be right, in Keith's mind.

     As soon as he reached the edge of the water, the only other person there, Lance, came up behind him and challenged him to a race.

     "Ha, I'm gonna win!" Lance taunted, "No way can anyone beat me in the water!" Keith just stood there, looking at the other boy strangely. A race? No biggie. But swimming? He definitely did not want to do that.

     "I never agreed to-"

     "On your mark!" Lance lined up his body to the pool, bending down in a diving position. "Get set!"

     Keith tried mimicking him, but looked somewhat pathetic in his form. He wasn't entirely sure what exactly was going on, but he wasn't one to back down from a challenge, much less a race.

     "GO!"

     Lance dove into the pool gracefully and with expertise, while Keith flopped in next to him headfirst. He didn't make much progress when Lance turned around at the opposite end of the pool. Once Keith finally got halfway across the pool, Lance had swum back to the end they started at and got out.

     "Dang, Keith. I thought you'd at least know how to swim," Lance hollered at him, laughing. It was ironic that the one thing Lance had been confident that he was good at was the one thing Keith sucked at.

     Keith stopped "swimming," and tried to yell back at Lance. Lucky for him, the part of the pool he was in had only been four feet deep, otherwise he would have probably drowned trying to tread water.

     "I am giving this my all, Lance," Keith snapped back, "I think I'm doing pretty well for never being in a pool before!" Lance's laughter stopped, and he gaped at Keith with wide eyes.

     "You've never been to a pool?" Keith shook his head. "A lake?" Another shake. "River? Ocean?" Both were turned down, only making Lance's expression more horrified.

     "Your childhood must've been rough," Lance partially joked. Sure, never going for a swim wasn't really a big deal, but to Lance, the water was everything.

     He'd grown up with the sea just a mile away, and with a family who loved the beach. He started swimming at an early age, and earned many achievements for the swim team he was on.

     The only other thing that Lance loved much as the ocean was the way the night sky reflected on the water, and the sky itself. He wished to see the stars up close, which was why he joined the Garrison.

     He was devastated when he found out there were no pools nearby, and the Garrison had been placed in the middle of a desert.

     He wondered how it was possible Keith never got to experience the water like he did. It was kind of sad to him. That had to be fixed - he shouldn't have to feel bad about Keith, his rival.

     Keith had started making his way to the nearest edge of the pool to climb out.

     "What are you doing?" Lance asked him, confused by his actions. Keith stopped for a moment and shot him a look. "What does it look like? I'm leaving."

     He continued to wade through the pool, until Lance yelled. "Wait!"

      Keith ceased his movements, and turned his head to the other boy.

     "What, Lance?!" He was just making fun of Keith, it didn't seem that it was going to change soon. Keith just wanted to get out of there.

     "How about I teach you to swim?" That caught Keith off guard. There was no possible way he should have expected Lance to say that. After all, he apparently was Lance's "rival." Offering help like that didn't seem right.

     "What's the catch?" Keith inquired, knowing that there had to be something else to the offer.

     There wasn't. Lance had made the offer without completely thinking it through.

     "Um, there isn't one?" Oops, he did it again. That didn't quite settle with Keith. Most people he met always wanted things in exchange for the favors they did. Lance had to have some ulterior motive.

     "Are you sure?" Keith questioned suspiciously.

     "Why would there be?" Lance asked. "I'm just doing this out of the kindness of my heart."

     Keith couldn't be sure if he was lying or not, but decided to just go with it.

     "Fine," he mumbled, giving in. He was still sure that Lance was going to want something in return, but he didn't want to ever face the humiliation of defeat in something that seemed so trivial ever again.

     "What was that?" Lance teased, "I couldn't hear you."

     "I said fine," Keith shouted, "I'll let you teach me how to swim!" No way in hell did Lance actually think Keith would go for that offer! He didn't even think he would make it in the first place.

     "Well, congrats, Keith! I'm gonna show you how not suck at swimming!" Lance had no clue how he was going to do this.

     "I can't exactly suck at something I don't know how to do...." Keith muttered, just loud enough for Lance to barely hear. Lance let out a soft chuckle.

     "Since I'll be teaching you, there's no way you'll ever have to suck at it." Lance walked over to the edge of the pool and dived in, just to avoid any comments Keith may make. He swam to Keith within seconds.

     "Okay, so we're gonna start with the basics first," Lance said. "You're gonna float." Keith looked puzzled by that, Lance almost broke out laughing again.

     "Just do as I say," he instructed. "Come over here." He indicated a spot in front of him, Keith doing an unflattering pool-walk to get closer to him.

     "Alright," Lance placed a hand on his lower back and another on his shoulder, causing Keith to flinch at the touch. "Just lean back, I've got you." Keith did what he was told, half-expecting Lance to drop him into the water.

     "Now kind of just fall back into the water." Keith let his feet float up in the water, while he partially sank into it.

     "Yup, just like that!" Lance exclaimed. "Tell me when you think you're ready for me to let go." It took a minute for Keith to get used to the sensation of floating until he felt ready.

     "Okay." Lance removed his hands from Keith's body, and waited for him to sink.

     Unlike the Titanic, Keith stayed afloat.

     "How are you not sinking?" Lance questioned, truly wondering how he managed to actually float.

     "I don't know," Keith admitted, slightly in awe of what he was doing.

     "I guess I'm just an awesome teacher," Lance said.

     Keith rolled his eyes. "Sure you are."

     "See, even you agree!" Lance joked. Keith rolled his eyes again.

     "Whatever, what's next?" he asked, slightly agitated. That was another thing Lance was good at - agitating Keith.

     "Treading water," Lance replied. "Follow me!" Lance swam to the deep end, and waited for Keith there. Reluctantly, Keith followed until his head was almost completely submerged.

     Lance was further out.

     "C'mon, closer." Keith did not want to go any deeper, for his fear of drowning was getting stronger with each step.

     "I'd rather not," Keith huffed. He was standing on the tip of his toes just so he would still be able to keep his face out of the water and breath.

     Lance dramatically gasped, "You dare defy your instructor?" Once more, Keith rolled his eyes.

     "Well, you're not much of an instructor. And I don't want to drown, so yeah." Keith crossed his arms under the water, though Lance didn't even notice.

     "You won't," Lance shrugged, ignoring the first comment, "but suit yourself. I'm staying over here." If Keith's arms weren't already crossed, he would have crossed them right then.

     The boys just stay there, Lance growing the slightest bit frustrated. After a moment of silence, a plan forms in his head, so he speaks up.

     "If you're not coming, then how about we get out of the pool?" he suggests, trying not to give away the details of his plan.

     "But what about...?" Lucky for Lance, Keith was determined to be able to swim well by the time they were done here, and he was nowhere near that. So, he became even more oblivious to everything due to that determination.

     "Laps," Lance stated. "Since you refuse to do as I say," he said with a smirk, "I feel that you have to have some sort of consequence."

     Consequence?! That seemed a little too much to Keith.

     "Why should I?" Keith challenged. Not that Keith wouldn't be up to running, but as a punishment? From Lance? Not a chance.

     "Do you wanna swim?" Keith didn't even hesitate to say yes.

     "Then we run," Lance concluded.

     "We?" Keith thought he would be the only one doing laps, that is if he was going to. Lance was not his boss, so he doesn't have to do anything he says.

     "Am I suddenly not allowed to run?" Lance taunted. "Is it because you don't wanna lose again?"

     That's what got him. Within a minute, Keith was climbing out of the pool, ready for another race against Lance. There was no way he was going to lose again.

     They lined up with Lance further from the pool on the outside, and Keith dangerously close to the pool on the inside.

     "GO!" Lance yelled, once more signalling their race. They ran along the edge of the pool, close enough that a life guard would've yelled at them, given that there was a life guard there.

     Of course, there was not.

     As they were heading to the deeper end, Lance had made sure he kept up with Keith.

     He had foolishly fallen into Lance's trap.

     After they turned the fist corner, Lance shoved Keith into the pool.

     That was one way to get him into the deep end.

     After a few seconds, Keith resurfaced, taking a big breath and grabbing onto the edge of the pool before yelling at the other boy.

     "What the hell, Lance?!" he screeched. "I could have drowned!"

     "I would have saved you!" Lance replied defensively, throwing his hands up.

     "But what if I actually died?" Lance was confident enough in his friend or rival or whatever he was that he wouldn't have drowned.

     "Don't worry," Lance reassured, "If you died, I'd make sure you would have an kick-butt funeral."

     Keith was fuming. "I don't want a kick-butt funeral, I want to live!"

     Lance shrugged. "You also want to swim!" he explained. "I was just helping you out." Keith snorted.

     "I don't think attempting murder is helping someone out!" Keith retorted, extremely irritated.

     "Well, I do what I gotta." Lance was done fighting for now, even though he enjoyed the reaction he was getting from the mullet boy. He took a step closer to the other boy.

     Fatal mistake.

     Before he could say anything else, Keith grabbed his ankle and pulled him in.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ye i guess this is the best i could do g

     Lance's head resurfaced, taking in a deep breath of air.

     "Okay, I guess I had that coming," he stated understandingly.

     Keith was trying not to laugh, still hugging the wall of the pool. A smirk was plastered across his face, challenging the other boy. Lance only smiled back at him.

     Then the splashing started.

     "Oh, you are _so_ on!" Keith challenged, his head turned to avoid the water in his face. With every wave sent back and forth, the boys laughed, having genuine fun with each other.

     Keith kept splashing at Lance, until Lance was too far away for him to get.

     For some unfair reason, Lance still managed to splash Keith from his distance, though barely. Keith shot him a playful look, and let go of the wall to follow him.

     As soon as Keith got close enough to splash him again, Lance yelled trying to declare a truce. Keith splashed one more defiant wave before agreeing.

     "So," Lance started, "you've finally joined me in the deep end." Keith was indeed in the deep end. With Lance. Treading water.

     "Huh, I guess I am," he acknowledged, somewhat proud of himself for not freaking out, yet still fearing that he may drown.

     At least his head was above the water.

     Bad thought.

     He could trust Lance, even if he did just shove him into the deep end of the pool.

     Lance wasn't crazy, unlike some of the foster parents Keith had in the past.

     His head wasn't above the water back then.

     He didn't want to think about that. He couldn't help but think about that.

     "Well," Lance interrupted his intrusive train of thoughts for the moment. He was a blessing in disguise. "Since you seem to have this down, maybe we can go through the strokes!"

     Keith attempted a nod, getting water splashed up in his nose. It stung, but he didn't mind the slight annoyance.

     He followed Lance to the edge of the pool.

     Lance reached the edge first (of course) and got out, helping Keith out once he reached it, too.

     Keith was quiet on there short walk to the other end of the water. His shoulders were slightly slouched, and his eyes were trained to the ground.

     His mind wouldn't shut up.

     This wasn't how he was supposed to - wanted to - act then. He was supposed to be full of energy, full of fire. After all, he was at the pool, learning how to swim with _Lance_ of all people.

     His thoughts kept pestering him of his past life on earth. Before he turned 18, that is.

     After he thought of it once, it kept coming back, like a wasp, stinging until it was done with its victim, now in tears and in pain. He had to distract himself more before he was in that same state.

     How, he had no clue.

     If he could just keep Lance from noticing something wrong, he was home free. Keith wasn't about to just gush about his foster parents from back on earth to Lance, the boy that seemed to have hated him.

     Keith's shoulders tensed, as he felt a hand being placed on his left one. He hadn't realized that he'd come to a stop half way to their destination, or that Lance had come back to check on him.

     "Hey," Lance said, voice laced with concern, "Are you okay?"

     Keith nodded. "Of course," he replied, trying to avoid any confrontation. Lance's expression became more accusatory, yet had an air of sadness and guilt.

     Keith probably felt more guilty. It seemed to him that Lance was actually concerned about him, and all he could tell him was that nothing was wrong. Maybe he didn't actually hate Keith.

     Damn. He had to say something, didn't he?

     "I, um." Keith had to come up with something. He would feel guilty lying, but didn't want to dump everything on Lance.

     "I was just... thinking about earth," he told Lance. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth.

     A sad smile spread across Lance's face, his eyes looking far off.

     "I can understand what that's like."

     Keith had to keep from breaking down and yelling at him that he couldn't, that he hadn't gone through what Keith and fine through - but he couldn't just assume that Lance had some perfect life either.

     "Yeah," Keith mumbled in an attempt to keep himself at ease. Lance looked back at him.

     His eyes were a brilliant blue, yet dark like the ocean during a storm. But they were so beautiful, Keith wouldn't mind drowning in that ocean.

     Where did that come from? When did Lance get so close to him? Though he didn't want to think about that, it was an upgrade from the trauma that plagued his mind before.

     Lance's hand on his shoulder grew hotter on his skin.

     He jerked back, looking away from those eyes that mesmerized him. The sudden movement surprised Lance, but Keith spoke before he could say anything.

     "Can we just get on with this?" he huffed, his head down as much as possible while still breathing so Lance wouldn't see his blush.

     Lance blinked, a slightly confused expression on his face, before saying, "Sure."

     They dropped back into the pool.

     If it wasn't for the concern Lance had for Keith at the moment, he would've called for another race in the shallow end of the pool. Instead, he peacefully swam over to the opposite side, slow enough for the other boy to still be near, but not ahead of Lance.

     He kicked back in the water, his eyes watching the ceiling, and his back soaked beneath him. Had it not been for Keith accidentally splashing him every ten seconds as he flopped around, it would've been the most serene moment he had experienced since leaving Earth.

     But at least he could've been warned about the wall. Lance hadn't realized that Keith stopped not far back, seemingly lost in his own thoughts, until after his head rammed into the edge of the pool.

     Keith probably would've laughed, had the situation not been tainted by his own mind and emotions.

     "Oh, shit," he muttered, snapping out of his trance, "Lance, are you okay?" He attempted to rush over to the other boy, but Lance stands up in the water clutching his head.

     "Yeah." He smiles over at the other boy. "I'm used to it by now."  
While that only earned a puzzled expression from the red paladin, Lance decided to continue on with the lesson.

     "So we'll start with the basic strokes," the taller boy started. "There are four different types - breastroke, butterfly, freestyle, and my personal favorite, backstroke!" As he spoke, he mimed the different strokes to demonstrate them to Keith.

     The said boy's expression had changed from confusion to curiosity and slightly less confusion. A hint of determination and something else twinkled in his eyes.

     "Which one is the most difficult?" he asked, once more looking for a challenge, while knowing that he wouldn't even be up to par with the standards it posted.

     "Backstroke is usually considered the hardest, but I personally," Lance placed a hand on his own chest, punctuating his words with the movement, "I find butterfly to be the hardest."

     Keith nodded, taking in the information, and deciding to take the risk of looking like a fool once more.

     "Why don't we start with-"

     "Backstroke." Keith interrupted. Lance dramatically sighed, mumbling something along the lines of "typical Keith."

     "Fine," he told the other boy. "But only because it's my favorite." A wide grin formed across the younger boy's face. "Watch and learn, baby!" And with that line, he dove back and sped off in the water.

_Did he seriously just refer to me as "baby"?_

     Keith's mind was racing, his complexion similar to the hue of his lion. He was sidetracked on his goal to "watch and learn," panicing about the offhand comment that punctuated the blue paladin's sentence.

     Why any of that mattered to Keith, why he felt so mezmerised earlier, it was all he could dwell on.

     The other boy had done so much to capture the attention of Keith, and recently it was in more positive ways. From their first alleged bonding moment, to their more recent and friendlier interactions.

     Lance had started to become more of a friend, rather than the self-proclaimed "rival" he had first made himself out to be. He had started to get closer than even Shiro had been to Keith, which was saying something since they had such a strong familial connection.

     It scared him to see how many walls Lance had gotten through, and how close to Keith he was.

     How their bickering had become less venomous, and at this point an inside joke. How Lance had been more vulnerable with him, and he wouldn't mind being as vulnerable to the other boy. How despite their arguing, they became good friends.

     It wasn't something Keith was expecting.

     After all, how could someone who despised you to the degree Lance had completely somersault into the companionship they had now?

     Every fond smile, everytime they defended one another in battle, every moment building up til then. Was it enough to change?

     It wasn't that Keith had ever hated the other boy, but he never had been the most fond.

     But now? He wasn't sure why Lance's eyes looked so pretty, or why his face gets red when he thinks about the other boy.

     He didn't understand why Lance had turned his behavior around so much, or why he even cared to notice.

     It was all too much for him.

     He twisted his eyes shut, completely abandoning his task to watch the younger boy.

     But all he could see was Lance, and his damned eyes that sparkled, reflecting the water like the ocean reflects the sky.

     If Lance hadn't said anything, Keith wouldn't have been in this mess.

     He wouldn't have to think about that damned boy, or the way he moved in the water. All of it had made him question why it was such a big deal to him. It's not like he was -

     Oh.

_Oh._

     Oh, no. It couldn't be.

     Lance hit the other end of the pool, and Keith was hit with a realization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whaddup whaddup it ya boi, finally here with an update. i only wrote this because i feel bad for everyone waiting for an update on this. yall keep me goin.
> 
> just dont expect another chapter before 2019, yeeticus.


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